


Once a Hero, Always a Hero

by Faithxoxo



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien and Marinette are mentors, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, New Ladybug, Romance, new chat noir, new generation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-23
Updated: 2018-02-22
Packaged: 2019-03-08 17:45:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13463334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Faithxoxo/pseuds/Faithxoxo
Summary: The day they defeated Hawkmoth was both the best day of Adrien’s life, and the worst. Twenty-five years later, he’s not Chat Noir anymore, and Marinette’s no longer Ladybug. Imagine their surprise when, on the night of their anniversary, Alya emails them pictures of a new Ladybug and Chat Noir. These new heroes, Lady Luck and Misfortune, are nothing like their predecessors. Adrien hadn’t thought it could get any worse than Hawkmoth; he was wrong.His father had been child’s play compared to this.





	1. Prologue: Twenty-Five Years Later

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! So new story, I know I should be focusing on one at a time but I dove into the deep end of Miraculous pool and now I'm so obsessed I can't stop. I kept thinking what would happen if Marinette and Adrien got to train new heroes and how they would react to a new LB and CN showing up out of the blue, thus this story was born! Adrien and Mari are gonna show up in later chapters, maybe chapter 3 or 4 for sure. I want to establish the new characters and flesh them out a bit first. This chapter's just a prologue to set the scene, so please enjoy some nice Tikki/Plagg and master Fu on the side! Leave a comment telling me what you think! Love you all and have a great day xoxo

* * *

When Tikki first awoke, her immediate thought was _Where’s Plagg?_ Her second thought was _I shouldn’t be awake_.

Not yet. Not so soon. It’d only be two decades, she should still be asleep. Why was her miraculous activated?

_Tikki? What the heck is happening?_

_Plagg, thank the Guardian._

_How are we talking right now? Who interrupted my nap?_

_I don’t know. It had to be Fu, the question is why?_

“Tikki, Plagg, I see you have awoken.”

In a flash of light Tikki found herself face to face with Fu, looking down at her miraculous in his hands, still in its box.

“Why have you activated us again? Is something wrong?” Her mind instantly went to Marinette, “Is it our chosen?”

“I swear,” Plagg zoomed up beside her, whiskers curling angrily. “If the kid was back here trying to bribe you into waking me up because he needed to vent—”

“No, your chosen have not been back here in a good while,” Fu made a calming gesture with his hand, indicating for Plagg to listen. “This is something else. The darkness I have not felt since Ladybug and Chat Noir unmasked Hawkmoth has returned.”

“What,” Plagg barked, at the same time Tikki said, “How?”

“I do not know, but I sense that something has gravely upset the balance once more.”

“Not again, Nooroo? His miraculous should come with a warning!” Plagg groaned. Tikki shushed him, “It can’t be Nooroo. His broach is still in the box.”

Plagg’s eyes shot to the chest containing all the miraculouses, narrowing as they landed on the butterfly pin. “Duusu then?”

“No, his is still there too.” Tikki examined all the miraculouses, counting them. None seemed to be missing.

The realization struck her hard, “It’s not a misused miraculous this time, is it?” She hoped she was wrong, but the way Fu regarded her with deep sadness told her all she needed to know.

“What?” Plagg looked between the two of them, not having caught on. He scowled, “What’s with the staring contest?”

“It’s them,” Fu murmured softly. “They’ve come out of hibernation. They must’ve felt the shift of power in the air when Nooroo and Duusu’s miraculouses were recovered. They’re coming for them. All of them.”

“Who?” Plagg was yelling now, fed up. “You don’t mean—” Tikki met his gaze solemnly and nodded only once. His fur stood on end, tail whipping back and forth defensively.

“Oh,” He hissed, “Well that’s not good.”

“Marinette and Adrien have finally found happiness,” Tikki knew what needed to be done next, but after all of the suffering their chosen had gone through with Hawkmoth, twenty-five years was not long enough to heal. She couldn’t bring herself to bother Marinette again, to uproot her and Adrien’s lives a second time.

“We can’t destroy all they’ve built,” Tikki would not do it, even if Fu ordered her to himself. Marinette meant too much to her, and this life she and Adrien had created for themselves was all she’d ever wanted. Tikki couldn’t ruin that.

“I won’t do it,” She said firmly.

“Neither will I,” Plagg agreed, voice steely. “That kid deserves all the happiness in the world. Ten times over.”

“They both do.”

Fu stared at the two of them, expression blank, before letting out a long sigh that sounded equal parts frustrated and equal parts exhausted.

It reminded Tikki that, no matter how lively he seemed, Fu was getting old. She and Plagg might be immortal, but he wasn’t. He wouldn’t live forever.

Tikki felt bad for making this hard for him, but she’d rather give up her own immortality than break Marinette and Adrien’s peace. They deserved so much more than they’d gotten out of their lives, and they were getting it now.

Nevertheless, the world needed to be saved.

Tikki had always been good at doing what needed to be done.

“Pick new ones,” She said.

Fu leveled her with a stern look, “You know what you are doing, choosing new users who are untrained rather than the ones who are still alive and have more than enough experience to get the job done. You _better_ know what you are doing.”

“I do,” Tikki fixed him with a look of her own. “I’m letting Marinette and Adrien _live_. That is all I want, I won’t ask for anything else. Give me this.”

She clasped her hands together, begging him to agree. Knowing, with all of her centuries of wisdom, that this was the right thing to do.

“Please,” She said. “Give _them_ this.”

“If you don’t,” Plagg backed her up, tone darker and more threatening than she’d heard in a long time. “You’re going to find yourself short another two miraculouses. Good luck chasing us, you won’t find us after we’re gone. That’s a promise.”

Fu was silent, not moving a muscle. Then, after a minute had passed, he said, “Alright.”

Tikki couldn’t remember feeling so relieved, “Thank you.”

“But, a word of caution.” Of course, he couldn’t just let it go at that. “You must pick your users this time, it is far too dangerous for me to carry the miraculouses on me. If I were spotted…” He trailed off. Tikki got the message loud and clear.

Discretion. Don’t be seen.

Don’t get caught.

“We’ll be careful,” Tikki swore. She picked up the box containing the earrings and offered Fu a small, tight smile. “We won’t fail.”

“I know you won’t,” Fu said as Plagg took the ring. He scratched Plagg behind his ears and rubbed Tikki’s head gently. “Go quickly. I do not know when I will see you next, or if I will ever see you again.”

He stood up from the floor and opened the window of the tea shop, letting the moonlight stream in. The curtains blocked the rest of the sky, obscuring the clouds and the stars.

Tikki expanded her senses and felt the choking darkness as strongly as a hand wrapped around her throat. “You weren’t exaggerating.” They had gotten stronger since they’d last been active, this felt almost as bad as that time period during the black plague. She was barely able to suppress a shiver, Plagg nuzzled her affectionately.

“I wish I had been,” Fu said honestly. He pulled back the curtain, giving them an exit. “Go. Stay out of sight. Please. We cannot afford to lose either of you.”

“You won’t,” Plagg said, at the same time Tikki said, “Goodbye.”

“Goodbye, my friends. May we meet again.”

Plagg flew out the window first, Tikki trailed after him, pausing to glance back at Master Fu.

The harsh glow of the streetlights made him look older, the lines on his face harsher. But he was smiling, “Do not fail,” He said.

“We won’t,” Tikki affirmed, speeding off after Plagg.

She almost missed what he said next, “I hope they do not fail either.”

* * *

 

Plagg had hoped that the next time he’d be woken up, they’d be years into the future. He’d been jonesing for a good three-hundred year nap to recover from all of the crap Hawkmoth had put him through.

He’d been hoping—hope was for suckers, he knew that now—that when he woke up, it’d be to a nice slice of Camembert and Tikki would be munching on a cookie beside him, and she’d be chatting on about how Marinette and Adrien had both lived long lives full of happiness with six little gremlin children and Plagg could feel proud of his kitten.

Instead, he woke up to a world just as fucked as it’d been twenty-five years prior.

He almost wished he and Tikki weren’t the only ones awake. Duusu was a crybaby, but he was fun to rile up. Nooroo, as much as Plagg loathed to admit it, was the sweetest poor sap he’d ever met. Pollen was a laugh a minute, Trixx would’ve been a great partner in crime, and Wayzz—

Well, he knew Wayzz was awake, but he hadn’t seen him in the tea shop. Fu was probably keeping him under lock and key, in case the Marauders sensed the activated miraculous and came sniffing around.

Plagg knew if he didn’t have Tikki with him, he’d have probably rained hell and brimstone upon Paris by now. He’d lost all patience with this damned city and the annoying people who lived in it. Even though it wasn’t their fault, he couldn’t bring himself to care. He was bitter, he could admit that.

Tikki was ninety-percent of his impulse control. Maybe more.

“How do we do this?” He turned and asked her, adjusting his grip on the ring. If he dropped it now it’d be impossible to find, “Do we just poke around and see if we can sense any potential wielders?”

“I guess,” Tikki said. “I’m not used to doing it this way.”

“We haven’t had to do this since—”

“Fredrick and Ella,” Tikki supplied. She smiled mournfully at their names, “They were two of our best.”

“Yeah,” Plagg stared out at the Parisian rooftops, at the pitch-black sky. They didn’t know how long they had until sunrise. “So, we go our separate ways.”

Tikki nodded, looking just as unhappy as him that they had to part ways again so soon. Her blue eyes were full of sorrow, “It’s what needs to be done.”

“Okay,” Plagg glared down angrily at his ring. He didn’t want to say goodbye to her, “Fine.”

“Just until we find new wielders,” Tikki was quick to add, darting forward and cuddling him tightly. Plagg only lasted a second before giving in and hugging her back, purring loudly. He wanted to remember this, they never got more than a few moments together.

He missed her more than he saw her, that wasn’t fair.

Tikki, because he was as transparent to her as she was to him, shot him kind smile. “We won’t have to miss each other long. When our chosen find their way to each, and they always do, I’ll see you again.”

“Yeah,” Plagg buried his nose between her antennae, “But seeing you isn’t enough.”

Tikki hiccupped, voice as sad as he felt, “For now, it’ll have to be.”

“For now,” He pulled away, because if he didn’t do it now he never would. He memorized every detail of her, his other half in every sense of the world, and hoped he sounded more confident than he felt.

“Until we meet again,” He vowed, knowing they would. He would not accept anything else.

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she didn’t let them fall. “Until we meet again.”

Plagg turned and flew off, letting his miraculous be his guide and lead him to his chosen.

He ignored everything in him that screamed to go back to her.

 

 


	2. New Heroes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tikki and Plagg choose their new wielders and explain that things are different this time around. There won't be any statues in their honor, no parades, nothing to celebrate them. In fact, no one in Paris can know about them at all. They just know that there's a threat, and the world needs saving just as much as it did twenty-five years ago. How can either of them say no?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonjour my loves, second chapter is finally up, sorry for taking so long to post it. I've just been really busy but don't worry, I haven't forgotten this story! This chapter's just an introduction to the new characters, next chapter they'll meet each other and in the chap after that Adrien and Marinette will make an appearance! I'm super excited to get into the thick of writing this, and I hope you enjoy reading it. Leave a comment if you wish and please have a nice day. Er, nice night. Why do I always post at night? Fact--I have zero time management skills. Oh well. On with the story! Xoxo

* * *

Emma Charpentier stepped off the scale and frowned at the numbers that blinked back at her, “One-thirty-six.”

Fuck. All those days of dieting for nothing, she was still where she’d been a week ago. What was she doing wrong?

“Ugh,” She moaned, exiting her bathroom and flopping face-down on her bed. It was one in the morning and she had a chemistry test tomorrow, she should be asleep. Why wasn’t she asleep?

_Why am I like this?_

Constantly trying to change herself, avoiding mirrors, seeing things wrong everywhere she looked. She should be _better_ than this.

She picked up the Ladybug stuffed doll on her nightstand, cuddling it to her chest. “I bet you weren’t an insecure neurotic loser,” She muttered to it. Ladybug had been a true badass.

Emma wished, on days when she could barely drag herself out of bed, that she could be more like the heroine who’d saved Paris all those years ago.

 _Where’s the Chat Noir doll?_ She thought, noticing he was missing. _Had he fallen under her bed?_

Knowing there wasn’t a chance of her getting to sleep anytime soon, Emma rolled over and ducked under her bed, feeling for the doll. Blowing a strand of hair out of her face, she straightened when she felt a blast of cold air.

She’d closed her window, she thought, frowning. Standing, she crossed the room and locked the shutters again, searching to make sure no bugs had gotten inside. Turning around, her eyes caught on the Chat Noir doll lying at the foot of her bed.

“There you are,” Emma bent down to pick it up.

She fell back on her ass when a red blur zoomed right in front of her.

“Hi,” It said.

“Holy shit!” Emma screamed, scrambling to find something to swat it with. “What the hell are you?”

“My name is Tikki,” The talking red cockroach said, looking amused that she was freaking out. How dare it? Scratch that, how the fuck was it talking?

Fumbling to get to her feet, Emma grabbed the closest thing in range; the Ladybug doll. “Get away from me!” She yelled, swinging at it.

“Now that’s not very nice—”

“Shut up!” She kept missing, damn it. “How are you talking? What _are_ you?”

“I told you, my name is Tikki. I’m a kwami, and if you stop trying to hit me I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”

Emma would much rather keep up her valiant attempts to squash it to kingdom come, but her interest was piqued. Gingerly, she lowered the doll. “You’re not going to eat me, are you?”

Tikki looked aghast, “Of course not! You’re a very special girl, Emma. My miraculous led me to you. That’s proof that you are a truly remarkable person.”

“Miraculous…?” Emma’s jaw dropped, “You mean, like—” She gestured vaguely to the Ladybug doll. When Tikki nodded, her jaw dropped even more. “Oh my God. I need to sit down.”

She plopped down on her bed, cradling the stuffed toy to her chest. This couldn’t be real, “I’m dreaming, aren’t I?”

“No, you’re not.” Tikki set a small wooden box on her lap and smiled up at her, but there was grief in her eyes. “You’ve been chosen.”

“I… how? I’m not…” Emma swallowed, “I’m nothing like the previous Ladybug. She was—she was incredible. Great. A true hero. I’m just…a girl who wishes she was more like her.”

“She was magnificent,” Tikki agreed. “One of my best, but you don’t have to be like her. Be _you_. That is more than enough, Emma.”

That gave her pause, “How do you know my name?”

“Once a new wielder is chosen, I know everything about them. I know your history, your family, your hopes and dreams. A connection is formed between us, whether or not you are aware of it.”

“That’s…kinda creepy.” Emma eyed the tiny creature, “You called yourself a kwami, what exactly is that?”

“I’m a quantic God,” Tikki said, and Emma’s heart just about stopped.

“I’m sorry, what?” She sputtered.

“The God of creation, my powers are nearly infinite, though I do have certain limits. There are more of us, we are what keeps the balance of the universe. However, we are only activated in times of extreme crisis.”

“Like Hawkmoth,” Emma said, thinking of the various attacks that had plagued Paris years prior. “Is he back? Is that why you’re here?”

“No, thankfully he is still locked away. This is something else,” Tikki’s voice grew hesitant. “I’m going to be honest with you, this will be nothing like what happened with Hawkmoth. This time, Paris cannot know Ladybug and Chat Noir are active.”

“What? Why?” The previous Ladybug and Chat Noir had statues in their honor and whole parades to celebrate them. They had blogs dedicated to them and thousands of adoring fans. “What’s different this time?”

“Hawkmoth had stolen the butterfly miraculous and was using it for evil, but your predecessors stopped him and retrieved it. It is still safe. What you’re facing now is an ancient evil, dedicated to stealing and controlling all of the miraculouses.” Tikki shuddered, “They call themselves the Black Marauders.”

The name alone struck fear in her, “They don’t sound like cheerful people.”

“They’re not, they originated in the medieval times. A group of people who sold their souls to some dark power in exchange for immortality, they’ve been hunting the miraculouses ever since. Every Ladybug and Chat Noir who faced them has only managed to force them into hibernation, they’re near impossible to kill.”

“Great,” Emma rubbed her palms together, feeling cold all of a sudden. “Just…great.”

“But now they’re back, and they need to be stopped. The world needs saving, and it needs you.”

“Yeah, uh, thanks but no thanks.” Emma was only sixteen, her problems should not include fighting a band of evil immortals. “Can’t you just get the old Ladybug and Chat Noir to fight them? They’re probably still alive, and way more experienced than I am.”

“They are still alive, but they have lives now and I _will_ _not_ disrupt them a second time.”

“So instead, you’re coming to me? Wow, I feel so loved.” Emma sighed, looking down at the kwami. “It was an honor to be nominated, but I think I’m gonna pass.”

“You idolized Ladybug and Chat Noir when you were younger, do you remember that?” Tikki gestured to the doll in her hand, “You still do. You’ve always wanted to be like her. Now’s your chance. I promise, I will not let anything bad happen to you.”

Glancing between the doll and Tikki, Emma had the sudden, ridiculous urge to burst into tears. “You mean it?”

“I do.”

“Okay then,” Emma set the doll beside her and picked up the wooden box. Opening it, she gazed down at the earrings. “I put them on?”

“Yes. Never take them off.”

“Even in the shower?”

“Even then.”

“Okay, what now?” Emma secured them, tilting her head back and forth to make sure they wouldn’t fall off.

“You say ‘spots on’ to transform and ‘spots off’ to transform back. Before you do, just know that I won’t be able to talk to you while you’re transformed.”

“Got it,” She took a deep breath. “Tikki, spots on.”

A red glow encased her, when it faded, Emma stood and went to look at herself in the mirror.

“Oh my God.” She stared, and her gold eyes stared back at her, hidden behind Ladybug’s mask. Her light brown hair was in two high pigtails, they were tied up in red ribbons and reached her shoulders.

It was the Ladybug costume, except…different.

Whereas Ladybug had worn a red-and-black spotted onesie when she’d first started out, Emma was wearing spotted thigh-high boots, gloves and a chest piece, but the rest of the costume was glossy black spandex.

“Tikki, why is mine different?” When no one answered her, she called “Spots off!”

The glow peeled away the transformation and she was back in her pajamas. Tikki re-appeared a few feet away from her.

“My costume’s different than hers.”

“When the last Ladybug started out, she was extremely nervous. She was worried she wasn’t good enough, that she didn’t have what it took to wield the miraculous. Since she wasn’t confident in herself, her transformation reflected that. Overtime, she grew more confident, and her suit changed. Yours will too.”

Emma remembered Ladybug had had wings during the last battle versus Hawkmoth, did that mean Emma would get wings too? Oh wow. “Are you saying I’m more confident than she was?”

Tikki nodded. Emma was astounded, “That’s…not what I was expecting to hear.”

The kwami giggled, “You’re more powerful than you know, Emma.”

“Thanks for the ego boost,” Emma brought her hand up, fingers ghosting over her earrings. “When do I get to meet my partner?” That was what she was most excited for.

She’d watched all of the videos on the Ladyblog, and despite how much she loved Ladybug, Chat Noir had always been her favorite. He was so funny, cracking puns and jokes all the time, and that cataclysm power of his was impressive as hell.

“Will he be like the last Chat Noir?”

“He _or_ she will be their own person, just as you are yours. Do not judge them based on their predecessor.”

Emma flushed, feeling shame curl in her gut. Right. He wasn’t the old Chat Noir, just like she wasn’t the old Ladybug. “Sorry. I’ll keep an open mind.” She added sheepishly, “I just can’t wait to meet him. Or her.” She had no problem with it being a girl, it might even be more fun that way.

“When my counterpart finds them, I will feel it. Then we can go out searching.”

“You’ll feel it?” Emma cupped Tikki in her hands, “So you’ll know their identity? I watched all of the Ladyblog videos and I know that keeping their identities secret was a big deal to the last Ladybug and Chat Noir.”

“It was, and it must be to you know. Knowing each other’s identities is dangerous, if one of you gets caught it compromises the other. The Marauders will torture it out of you, they won’t care that you are children.”

More fear washed over her, “They sound like huge assholes.”

“They are, be careful. Always watch your back, be cautious, and do not take unnecessary risks.”

“I won’t,” Emma swore. “I promise. Can we go out looking for them now?”

“I haven’t sensed anything, it’s possible my counterpart hasn’t chosen anyone yet.”

“Oh,” Emma tried not to be too disappointed. She’d meet him soon, she just had to be patient. “Can we still go out? I’m dying to see how it feels to run across rooftops—”

“It’s late,” Tikki scolded gently. “And I know you have school tomorrow. Go to bed.”

“Ugh,” Emma whined, but did as she was told. One did not say no to a quantic God, after all. “Any chance you have the power to put me to sleep?”

“Unfortunately I don’t, but maybe this will help.” Tikki nuzzled her cheek, and warmth flooded her body like magic. Comfortable. Familiar. Safe.

“Oh my God,” Emma laid her head on her pillow. Her eyes closed by themselves, “Don’t stop.”

“I’ll keep it up until you’re asleep.”

“Thanks Tikki. I’m glad I met you.”

“Me too, Emma.”

* * *

Joshua Alexandre threw a frying pan at the tiny black creature that would not _go away_.

“Get the fuck out of here!” Why was there was a flying rat in his kitchen? Why could it _talk_? “Uncle! Get in here!”

But it was no use, his uncle was already passed out drunk in the living room. A bottle of beer forgotten in his hands, only half finished. Joshua debated swiping it and taking a few sips himself, maybe it would wake him up from whatever nightmare he was trapped in now.

“Kid, sit down.”

“Go away! Shoo!”

“I will fry your ungrateful ass, sit down before I make you.”

“It’s threatening me, oh God—” Joshua had run out of things to throw, “Please don’t eat me. I probably taste like shit anyway.”

“I’m not going to eat you, but some food would be nice.” The thing quirked its head, “Do you have cheese?”

“If I give you some will you go away?”

“No, but I’ll be in a better mood. And if I’m in a better mood, that’s good for you.”

Joshua found himself nodding, moving mechanically towards the fridge. “We don’t have much, is Swiss okay? I haven’t gone grocery shopping in a while—”

“It’s fine,” The creature said. “Not all of my chosen can afford my expensive tastes, anyway.”

“Chosen? What?”

“Sit. Down.” The way it was said, it was clear it wasn’t an option anymore.

Joshua nearly tripped over his own feet in his hurry to pull out a chair to sit on, the thing laughed as he nearly fell off twice. “Glad you think this is funny.”

“You humans kill me,” The creature threw the slice of cheese up in the air and swallowed it in one bite. Joshua gaped. “What?” It licked its lips, “Don’t judge me.”

Joshua went back to looking pointedly at the ruined carpet, “Sorry. So…what did you say your name was again?”

“Plagg, the kwami of destruction.”

“Interesting title.”

“I take great pride in it,” Plagg said, “And you’re Joshua. Obsessive compulsive worrier, certified genius, overall _train-wreck_ of a human being—”

“I get it,” Joshua said stiffly. “You know me. How? And what did you mean by ‘chosen’?”

“You’re my new kitten.”

The information sunk in. His brain refused to process it, “Uh…”

“It means you’re the new Chat Noir,” Plagg huffed in frustration, “Geez, I guess I was wrong about the genius thing.”

“Chat Noir?” Joshua’s mouth flopped open and closed like a fish.

“Yeah, you do know who Chat Noir is, right?”

“Obviously, I haven’t been living under a rock.” He bit his bottom lip while he turned _that_ bit of info over in his head a couple times. “Did something happen to the old one?”

“Yeah, he’s retired. Good news for you though, you get to be his replacement.” Plagg dropped a wooden box at his feet and Joshua startled, pulling his knees to his chest as if he expected the box to bite him.

“I don’t think I want to be his replacement—”

Plagg groaned loudly, “You’re going to be one of _those_? Oh Guardian save me.”

“What’s a Guardian—” Joshua stopped himself, one question at a time. “Why do you need Chat Noir? There hasn’t been an Akuma attack since the old one stopped Hawkmoth.”

“Hawkmoth isn’t the problem this time around,” Plagg explained. “And _I_ don’t need Chat Noir, the world does. It needs you. So…accept the responsibility and be a hero, and all that jazz.”

How utterly unconvincing, “No thank you.”

“Ugh, _why_?”

“Because I don’t _want_ to, I don’t want to be a hero. There are probably a million other people out there who’d be better at this than me—”

“Okay, let’s get something straight.” Plagg’s eyes narrowed seriously, “There is no one better. If there was, I’d have gone to them. My ring led me to you, which means despite your insecurities and self-loathing and all that shit, you’re the best candidate for my miraculous.”

“It must be wrong then.”

“You mortals and your inferiority complexes,” Plagg hissed. “I can’t believe the audacity some of you have. The miraculous is never wrong.”

“Well then it’s defective,” Joshua snapped. “I’m nothing like the last Chat Noir. He was brave and selfless, I’m—” He gestured to himself. “I live in a shithole with an alcoholic for an uncle and bills piling up. I’m the dictionary definition of nothing special.”

Plagg was quiet for a moment. Finally, he said, “It’s really sad that you think that. That the world’s beaten it into you that don’t deserve good things. But here’s something you don’t know, the last Chat Noir? He thought the exact same way.”

Joshua found himself half-hoping Plagg was lying to him, while the other half desperately wanted it to be true. That a superhero as incredible as Chat Noir could have been broken too meant something to him, it showed him there was still hope.

“You’re not lying?”

“No,” Plagg said. “I will never lie to you.” He perched on Joshua’s shoulder, and Joshua didn’t feel the need to hide under the table or swat him off. It actually felt nice.

“It’s kind of a pattern with me, my chosen…” Plagg tapered off. “They usually end up being the broken ones, because the broken ones are often the strongest.”

Joshua stared at the little cat on his shoulder and found himself considering the possibility of saying yes. “You promise to be one-hundred percent honest with me? About everything?”

“No,” Plagg said, and Joshua was shocked by the openness. “I won’t always be forthcoming with the details, but know that I want what’s best for you. I want you to live and grow up and leave this place behind, trust me on that.”

Surprisingly, Joshua did.

“Okay,” He sighed, pulling his jacket tighter around his shoulders. “So what do I have to do?”

Plagg blinked at him, “Really? Just like that?”

“Yeah,” Joshua almost went to pet him but thought better of it. He had to remind himself that this was a _God_ , not an actual cat. “I trust you.”

“Shit, that was easier than I thought it was going to be. I must be getting better at this.” Plagg zipped off his shoulder and hovered mid-air, “First thing’s first, you need to put the ring on.”

Joshua picked up the box and opened it, frowning at the silver ring that lay inside. “Okay,” He slipped it on. “What next?”

“Say ‘claws out’ to transform, ‘claws in’ to go back to normal. And,” Plagg added hastily. “While you’re transformed, I won’t be able to speak to you. Sorry, I had to get that in. My last chosen was trigger happy.”

Joshua grinned despite how nervous he was, “Alright then. Plagg, claws out.”

A black and green light swarmed him, when it faded, Joshua looked down at himself and winced. “This costume really doesn’t leave anything to the imagination, does it Plagg.”

No answer. Right. Inhaling deeply, he went to the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror. “Oh Lord.”

He touched the cat ears gingerly, they twitched with every movement. His claws freaked him out a little, what if he forgot they were there and accidently poked his eye out? Speaking of his eyes, his entire sclera was a stormy blue, matching his irises. His raven-black hair was a tussled mess, longer than it usually was, but shorter than the previous Chat Noir’s hair had been.

There were differences in the costume too, there were no zippers, no cuffs around his wrists or his ankles, and the bell around his neck was absent. He still had a tail, but it was shorter than he remembered Chat Noir’s being, probably because Joshua was a few inches shorter than his predecessor.

He didn’t look half bad, if he was being generous, he might say he even looked attractive. “Claws in,” He said, calling the transformation off.

“So, what’d you think?” Plagg asked as soon as he reappeared.

“It’s revealing as hell,” Was the first thing Joshua said. “Provocative, too.”

“Hey, I put work into that costume.” Plagg sounded offended, “The old Chat Noir loved it.”

“Speaking of him, our costumes are different. Why?”

“Were you nervous just now when you transformed?”

“Yeah,” Joshua said.

“He wasn’t, his first time, he didn’t even wait for me to finish giving him instructions before transforming and running wild. I swear, it was like he’d been preparing his whole life to be a superhero. He already had his transformation ready.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Plagg’s voice was a mixture of annoyance and fondness. “He was the biggest dork I ever met.”

Joshua felt a new weight fall on his shoulders, “Great, so I’ve got a lot to measure up to.”

“Hey, none of that.” Plagg said sternly, “You don’t have to be him. He was one of my best, but you can be too. Have some faith in yourself.”

Joshua scoffed, “Harder said than done.” At Plagg’s dry look, he amended. “But I’ll try.”

“Good. Now, enough of this emotional stuff. Let’s get you caught up on the shitshow that’s coming to Paris.”

Joshua found himself immediately regretting his decision.

By the time he was up to speed on everything, it was past three in the morning and Joshua was nowhere near falling asleep. His mind was still whirring, thoughts pulling in a million different directions. He was stuck on one in particular, “Partner?”

“Yeah, the good luck to your bad.”

“The Ladybug to my Chat.”

“Exactly, but you can change your name, you know. You don’t have to stick with Chat Noir.”

Joshua mulled that over, thinking about how his whole life he’d marveled his shitty luck. The horrible circumstances that landed him where he was today, the _unfairness_ of it all.

“Misfortune,” He decided. “That’s my name.”

“Great, now, don’t you have school tomorrow?”

“Yeah, in…” He checked the wall clock. “Four hours, actually.”

“Let’s hit the hay. I need my beauty sleep and so do you.”

“I kinda have a problem with insomnia, you can go ahead if you really need to—”

“Kitten, come with me.”

He barely registered standing and following Plagg to his room. He stretched out on the mattress and winced as the springs dug into his back. His pillow felt rough against his cheek, “Plagg? Where’d you go?”

“Here.” The kwami settled on his stomach. Suddenly, a rumbling purr reverberated, emanating from Plagg’s chest.

“Oh my God, you _are_ a cat.”

“Shut up and go to sleep. Does this feel okay?”

“Yeah,” Joshua closed his eyes. “Heavenly.”

“Good. Try not to roll over and crush me.”

“I will.”

He feel asleep faster than he had in months.


	3. Partners

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma meets the bad luck to her good, falls a little in love with him, and decides that the whole being Ladybug thing can't be so bad if she's got him for a partner. She might even like saving the world with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, I haven't updates in forever. Not cool, but I'm working on it. Self-improvement is the key to growing as a person, after all :) Anyway, how are you today, my loves? I hope your lives are wonderful and stress-free, and I hope today finds you well and happy. This chapter's our first interaction between the new duo, and I literally squealed so much writing this chapter just because writing original characters is so exciting. Heads up, Marinette and Adrien coming next chapter so be prepared for that. I hope you enjoy and feel free to leave a comment telling me if you liked it, xoxo <3

* * *

Emma was seriously having her doubts about the whole ‘luck is on my side’ thing, because today was, quite frankly, supremely shitty.

She’d overslept, had to run to school in the rain, worn her shirt inside out, completely bombed her chemistry test, forgotten her lunch, fallen asleep in class, and missed the bus back home which led to more walking in the rain.

Therefore, she called bullshit on Tikki’s whole _Ladybugs-are-harbingers-of-good-luck_ spiel, because she had some of the worst luck ever. Maybe she was defective, that had to be it. Maybe it was something wrong with her.

“Stop,” Tikki said, her mouth full of peanut butter cookie. She’d said her favorite was chocolate chip, but Emma didn’t feel like running to the grocery store. “I know what you’re thinking and it isn’t good to put yourself down.”

“Please, you should see me when I _really_ put myself down,” Emma bristled. “And the fact that you can supposedly read my mind still freaks me out.”

“I’m not reading your mind,” Tikki explained. “I’m sensing your emotions, you humans tend to broadcast your feelings to the world. My last Ladybug had a tendency to be very overdramatic.”

“Well, I’m happy I take that from her, if nothing else.” Emma finished up the last of her biology homework and flipped the textbook shut. “Done. Finally.” She spun around lazily in her desk chair, “Say, Tikki…did you happen to sense anything else? Possibly last night?”

Tikki sent her a look that said she wasn’t being subtle, “If you’re asking about your partner, then yes. I sensed that Plagg chose his wielder sometime after you fell asleep.”

Emma leaped to her feet, “What are we waiting for, then? Tikki, spots—”

“Whoa there,” Tikki giggled. “I know you’re excited, but there’s a chance you won’t run into them. They might not be as…overenthusiastic as you.”

Emma groaned and collapsed back into her chair, “I know. I need to be mindful, I just can’t wait to meet him. Or her.” She hastened to add once more.

She didn’t care who it was, as long she wasn’t doing this whole ‘save the world’ business alone. She imagined it would be nice, to have someone she could tell almost anything to, someone she trusted unequivocally.

“Alright, let’s go over the ground rules again.” Tikki finished the last of her cookie, wiping away the crumbs. Her tone was all business, “What’s the number one rule?”

“Don’t get seen.”

“Number two?”

“Always look over my shoulder.”

“And number three?”

“Be cautious and never take unnecessary risks.”

“Good.” Tikki nodded, “It seems like you’re ready.”

Emma couldn’t help the little skip she did as she went over to her window and opened it, wide enough for her to slip out through. “My sister usually gets back around eight from work, and my mom’s never home earlier than ten. Until then, I think we’re good.”

“Go ahead.”

Emma stole herself, breathless and giddy. “Spots on.”

The red light washed over her and she slipped out, hitting the rooftops slowly at first, eventually breaking into a jog and then full-out sprinting as she got used to the layout. The wind rushed in her ears and made her dizzy, but it was a feeling better than any high.

It was…euphoric. No wonder the old Ladybug and Chat Noir had done it so much.

She lapped Paris twice, avoiding the tourist traps and sticking close to the small alleys and dark corners. The sun had gone down by the time the exertion caught up with her, and she had to lean against a chimney to take a break and catch her breath. She watched the darkening sky and the half-moon peaking from behind the clouds and thought that now that she had this, she would rather die than give it up.

Still, a small pocket of disappointment managed to sneak its way into her chest. She’d been hoping she’d find her partner out here, but it was quite possible that if she was managing to stay out of sight, so were they.

She was turning to start the long trek home when she saw it, a figure leaping from the highest landing of the Eiffel tower onto the adjacent rooftop. Obscured by the chimney, Emma was able to observe them freely, the way they moved was almost…elegant. Graceful.

They always landed on their feet. _Chat Noir_.

Her excitement bubbling over, Emma made a beeline for the figure that was steadily making their way towards the Arc de Triomphe. It seemed they didn’t care about avoiding the crowded spots, with a suit that melted as seamlessly into the night as theirs, it was no wonder.

She put on a burst of speed and caught up with them, using her yo-yo to propel herself until she landed directly in their path. Her first time using it and she wasn’t wiping out nearly as much as she thought she would. It’d been a shock, but the yo-yo felt like an extension of herself. It felt natural using it.

Emma stuck her hand out as the figure came to a halt. It was a boy.

He was…hot as hell. Oh _God_.

His hair was inky black and his eyes were midnight blue. The cat effect only served to make them even more striking, they practically glowed. And his costume…Emma wasn’t going there. She wouldn’t be able to keep things professional with him if she let herself linger on his suit too long.

Leather was a fantastic look on him.

From what she could see of his face, he had high cheekbones and a button-down nose. His jaw looked like it could cut diamond, _holy_ _shit_. Was it one of the criteria to become Chat Noir that you had to be attractive? It had to be, otherwise Tikki’s counterpart just had really good taste.

His skin was pale, almost translucent, and he was only a few inches taller than her.

Realizing she’d just been standing there with her hand out for five solid minutes, Emma forced herself to speak. “Hi,” It came out warbled. She cleared her throat and tried again, “I’m your new partner.”

 _Stop staring at him, you’re going to scare him off_. She was giving him bedroom eyes. That was a sure-fire way to kill any chance of partnership.

He met her hand and shook it gently, she studied the way his nails were sharpened to claw-points.

“Hi,” His voice was velvety smooth. “I’m Misfortune, it’s nice to meet you.”

 _Oh_ , Emma started. She hadn’t thought about changing her name, but now that he’d changed his, it seemed like a good idea. She wasn’t just Ladybug’s replacement, she was her own person.

“That’s a cool name, I’m…” Let’s see, he’d gone for the bad luck angle, so she could go for the good luck one. “Lady Luck.”

A smile turned up the corners of his lips, “I see what you did there.”

“You inspired me,” Emma said truthfully. “I was just going to take my predecessor’s name, but you changed yours so I thought I should change mine.”

“I like it, shows you’re different.” Oh God, his _eyes_. They were killing her. “I don’t want to be a carbon copy of the old Chat Noir. I’m not like him.”

“Seems we have that in common,” Emma balled her hand into a fist, “Pound it? To not being carbon copies.”

He stared at her fist, “I have a better idea.”

She was about to ask what he meant when he grabbed her hand, uncurled it, and high-fived it with his own. “Let’s have our own thing.”

“Yeah,” She squeaked, unable to focus on anything besides the fact that he was holding her hand. Sort of. Kind of. Well, their palms were touching, it was a start.

“Wanna come up with a secret handshake?” She blurted out, because she was a total idiot.

His half-smile turned into a full-blown grin at that, and if he looked beautiful just standing there, he was absolutely stunning when he grinned.

 _Get a hold of yourself, you just met him_. Damn her stupid teenage girl hormones.

“I would love to,” He said, and that was how they spent the next hour. Their handshake ended up being twenty minutes long, boss level complicated, and their enemies would probably have time to kill them and hide their bodies before they got through the whole process.

It was the most fun she’d had in years. Being with him just felt…right. She didn’t know how else to describe it.

“You’re not worried about anyone seeing you?” Emma gestured down to the people loitering on the street, it was late, but Paris was at its most beautiful at night.

“Not really.” He shrugged, “This costume’s hard to see, as long as I don’t scream at the top of my lungs I figure I’m safe.”

“You were heading for the Arc de Triomphe,” Emma allowed herself a millisecond to think it over before offering her hand to him. “I’ll join you.”

It took him less than a millisecond to grab it. She tried to clamp down on the butterflies that sprouted in her stomach. She wished she wasn’t wearing gloves, that he wasn’t wearing them either.

They sat with their legs dangling over the edge, hidden beneath the flickering lamplight, the entire archway illuminated by the yellow glow of the street. No one looked up.

“What’s your favorite color?” Emma asked out of the blue, realizing, as quickly as she’d fallen in love with his eyes; that she wanted to know things about him. Not everything, obviously, but the little things.

He didn’t even question it, “Green. The color of grass. You?”

“Ah, dark blue.”

Her partner—God, she was never going to get used to that—smiled faintly and pointed at the sky. “You mean like right now?”

Emma glanced up, studying the stars like a cartographer, like an invisible map was drawn in the intricacies and the open spaces in between. Like it all meant something, “Yeah. I think it’s beautiful.”

 _Like you,_ she didn’t say.

“Hm,” Was all he said, staring at her the same way she was staring at the sky. “What’s your favorite food?”

“Oh, uh…” She thought about it. “I love croquettes, but I guess I have to say pasta. I went on vacation to Rome once and I fell in love with the lasagna they served at this restaurant by the sea-front.”

Misfortune’s smile widened, “I’ve visited Italy too. I have family in Sicily, but I haven’t seen them in a long time.”

“When’s the last time you visited?” Emma asked, curious.

“I…before, I guess. It was a different time, I can’t imagine going back now.” He squirmed a little, at first Emma thought he was cold, but then she realized the question had made him uncomfortable. She immediately backed off, not wanting to come off as too pushy and send him running for the hills.

“Noted.” She said simply, and his shoulders relaxed. “So what’s your favorite food?”

“Pizza, without a doubt.”

“We’re such traitors, siding with the Italians.”

“Definitely,” He chuckled, all traces of his earlier discomfort gone. “We should be drawn and quartered for these acts of treason. Guillotined.”

“Hung.”

“Burnt at the stake.”

“Crushed by boulders.”

“Thrown off a cliff.”

“Harpooned.”

They both lost it at that, their laughter drowned out by the noise floating up from the street below.

“Harpooned?” His smile reached his eyes now, it was quite possibly the most magnificent thing she’d ever seen. “That’s a ridiculous way to die.”

“Tell that to the poor whales,” Emma said.

“True. How could I forget about them? I truly am unfit to be a superhero.”

“Absolutely, hang up your cat ears. You don’t deserve them.”

They laughed some more, Emma discovered she could listen to his laughter all day and never be sick of it.

“So,” She pulled her knees to her chest. “What’s your favorite animal?”

“Whales,” He deadpanned.

“I’m serious,” She giggled. “And you’re not allowed to say cats.”

“Ugh, fine.” A strange expression crossed his face, one that reminded Emma of herself when she was answering a tough chemistry question and overthinking everything way too much.

“I guess…birds. They’re so pretty to look at, colorful, free…” He trailed off, and something soft and distant snuck into the corners of his eyes. “They can go wherever they want whenever they want. They’re free of limits and standards and other people. They have the whole world in front of them. I’ve always been kind of jealous.”

Oh wow.

What…what did she even say to that?

She wanted to give him a hug, but they hadn’t even known each other for a day and she didn’t know how he’d react to that. Since they were still holding hands, Emma settled on giving him a reassuring squeeze.

“That’s beautiful, when you put it like that…” She offered him the kindest, most compassionate smile she could muster. “Birds really do seem lucky.”

“The luckiest,” He muttered, more to himself than her. “Anyway. What’s your favorite animal?”

“Would you believe it?” She nudged him gently, “If I said cats?”

“You’re screwing with me.”

“I am one-hundred percent serious.”

“I feel slighted, I wasn’t allowed to say cats.”

“Ah, but I’m not a cat, I’m a ladybug. Therefore, it’s fair.”

“I don’t care for your logic. Excuse me while I jump off this ledge and scare the tourists,” Misfortune said dryly. Emma laughed, “Please don’t, I need someone to mess with.”

“At least you’re honest,” His eyes drifted heavenward. “What breed of cat?”

If she’d known him better, she might’ve said he was fishing for a compliment. Since she’d only met him tonight, and didn’t really know anything personal about him, she wasn’t going to make assumptions. Nevertheless, she was glad he was looking at the sky instead of at her, because he missed the way she stared at his lips long enough for it to be creepy.

The words slipped out, “Black cats.”

She ducked her head just in time, her gaze missed his by a millisecond. She knew if she looked into those pools of dark blue directly, there was no chance of escape. She’d tell him anything, and she’d literally just met him. But it felt as if they’d been friends for years, she supposed the history between the bug and the cat was what caused the overwhelming feelings of unconditional trust. Ladybug and Chat Noir had been active and partners since the dawn of time, even if Emma was just donning the mask now.

There was no undoing all that history, but that didn’t mean she wanted to screw things up between them on her first day. She’d take being his friend.

“Really?” He asked.

She breathed in, “Really.”

“Thanks for the ego boost, luckbug.” Either she was projecting what she wanted to hear from him, or there was fondness in his voice. Whichever it was, her heart threatened to beat out of her chest at the nickname. She had a _nickname_.

He’d given her one.

_Don’t screw this up, don’t screw this up…_

“Anytime, alley cat. We have to build each other up, right? Partners?”

“Yeah,” His nose crinkled like he was thinking about something too hard, it was the cutest damn thing she’d ever seen in her entire _life_.

God, she was such a disaster.

“Partners.” They did their handshake—flawlessly, might she add—and his eyes slipped back to the street below them. “Do you think we should actually get some patrolling done before it gets too late?”

Emma blinked, she’d completely forgotten about actually doing her job. Great way to start her first day, gold star to her. “Uh, yeah. We should probably do that.” She winced and hoped Tikki went easy on her when the kwami inevitably lectured her on letting herself get distracted.

She couldn’t help it, she could drown in his eyes. No one should look so beautiful, it should be _illegal_.

“You coming?”

“Y-yes, wait up.” Fuck her stupid hormones and her wandering mind, she had to at least pretend to be professional.

They did a sweep of the city and didn’t run across anything strange, except for a drug deal going down in an alley that Emma interrupted. She struck quick and lightning fast, the two boys never got a good look at her. They screamed their heads off and ran the hell out of there like the devil and three demons were chasing them. Misfortune laughed and leaned against the brick wall, like a vision out of a fever dream, and Emma counted her blessings that the moonlight didn’t reach them there. He couldn’t see her expression of sickening admiration.

“I don’t believe you’re a first-timer, you handled that like a pro.”

“I assure you, this is my first drug bust as a superhero.”

“Well, you did great. You should have a catch phrase, or leave a trademark card like spider-man.”

“Hm, how about ‘Signed; your badass queen Lady Luck.’”

“Genius.”

“Any ideas for the catch phrase?”

“Isn’t it obvious? ‘Bad guys, your luck just ran out.’”

“Not bad, kitten.”

“Thanks for the praise, luckbug.”

She knew it was way past her curfew by the time they finished patrol, her sister was definitely home by now, her mother too. She’d probably lost her shit when she’d discovered Emma wasn’t in her room, and her phone—wherever it’d disappeared to when she transformed—was no doubt going crazy with a million messages. Emma wouldn’t be surprised if her mom had phoned the police, she kept an eye out for any SWAT cars because the last thing she wanted to do was give her mother a heart attack.

“I should get home,” She should’ve been home hours ago, but the thought of leaving him after she’d just met him felt like it would tear her in half. This definitely wasn’t healthy, she’d have to ask Tikki about this co-dependence.

“Yeah, me too.”

Except neither of them moved.

And then he did, he darted forward and _hugged_ her. _Tight_.

“It was great meeting you, same time tomorrow? If you’re not busy.”

His voice was muffled against her neck and she was still processing the fact that he had his arms around her, but she managed to string together a semi-coherent sentence.

“S-sure.”

“Okay.”

She counted the seconds in her head, it was a good minute before he pulled back. He looked mournful, and she found that she hated the distance too. She wanted to spend the rest of her life hugging him.

 _Oh God, dial it back, Emma_.

“Until tomorrow, luckbug.”

“Until tomorrow,” She swallowed, her throat felt like sandpaper. “Partner.”

He turned first, seamlessly vanishing into the darkness. Every bit of distance hurt until he got so far away it didn’t anymore. Emma twisted the ends of her pigtails and stared at where he’d been standing for a solid five minutes.

“I should go,” She muttered to herself. “I need to go.”

She slipped back through her window and called off her transformation, Tikki had just enough time to dive behind her armoir before her sister came barreling into the room, baseball bat in hand.

“Where have you been? Mom and I were worried sick!”

Emma opened her mouth to reply but her sister was on a roll. “Why the hell is your window open? It’s freezing! Oh my God, did you climb down the fire escape to sneak out? I didn’t notice it when I came in here before, and why are you not wearing a jacket? Did you sneak out jacketless! You’ll catch a cold! Close the window!”

Emma closed it wordlessly. She sighed and counted to ten in her head, picturing her partner’s eyes. Like magic, just imagining them was enough to calm her down.

“Good, now come downstairs and explain where you were to mom. I’m not covering for you, you should know better than to scare us like this. Who were you even meeting at this hour, anyway?”

“A friend,” Emma said as her sister grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the staircase. “Just a friend.”


End file.
